Shloka 25
Nārāyaṇāstra-utpātaḥ — Aśvatthāman’s Rallying Roar after Droṇa’s Fall (द्रोणपर्व, अध्याय १६७)
कृतवर्मा तु संक्रुद्धो धर्मपुत्रस्य मारिष | धनुश्विच्छेद भल्लेन तं च विव्याध सप्तभि:,माननीय नरेश! तब अत्यन्त कुपित हुए कृतवर्माने भी एक भल्ल्लसे धर्मपुत्र युधिष्ठिरका धनुष काट दिया और उन्हें भी सात बाणोंसे बींध डाला
kṛtavarmā tu saṅkruddho dharmaputrasya māriṣa | dhanuś ciccheda bhallena taṃ ca vivyādha saptabhiḥ ||
Sañjaya berkata: Kṛtavarmā, menyala oleh amarah—wahai mulia—dengan anak panah bhalla yang tajam memutus busur Dharmaputra Yudhiṣṭhira, lalu menembusnya dengan tujuh anak panah.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how anger (krodha) escalates violence and leads to tactics aimed at disabling an opponent rather than restraining harm; it implicitly contrasts Yudhiṣṭhira’s dharmic reputation with the harsh necessities and moral pressures of battlefield conduct.
Sañjaya reports that Kṛtavarmā, furious, first cuts Yudhiṣṭhira’s bow with a bhalla-arrow (a disarming strike) and then wounds him with seven arrows, marking a decisive moment of aggression against the Pāṇḍava king.